Rabbits and pine apple juice?

[Hopzandbig]

Every few months or so my female rabbit will stop eating and moving around. My vet said it sounds like she has hairballs and has suggested I feed her pineapple juice. Has anyone had success with this method? Thoughts? I don’t like giving my rabbits things that I’m not sure about (even if the vet said so!).

[Mikey]

Um, no. Thats GI stasis and/or gas. Some rabbits can pull themselves out of it, others need medical or even vet help. Thats also a myth your vet told you. Pineapple juice doesnt break down hair in rabbits gut. If your rabbit gets a hair blockage, you need to step up your grooming game or she might need surgery to remove the hair blockage in the future. Plus, pineapple juice is really bad for rabbits as its high in sugar.

When your rabbit is not eating and you suspect gas (moving around a lot), give baby gas drops every few hours. If she doesnt eat for more than 8 hours, get critical care and feed her that. If she doesnt like the taste of critical care, you can mix it with no sugar added apple juice instead of water to make the taste more appealing. If she refuses to eat for close to or over 24 hours, she needs to see an emergency vet.

[Tony's Mum]

Having said that (and I completely agree with Mikey-check she’s getting enough hay and water in her diet too), Tony does love the odd chunk of pineapple so there’s no harm in adding a little to her treats as well. I don’t think it’s effective at all, but it won’t hurt to try! Just make sure you focus on grooming and diet first, and not rely on an old wives tale for bun health.

[Q8bunny]

Sorry guys, but not altogether a myth. My vet (now semi-retired) spent her life worshipping bunnies and clearly told me that while not a miracle fix, pineapple and papaya enzymes (whether fresh or tablets) do help relieve hair problems.

Having said that, I’ve seen it work myself: a couple of moults, I couldn’t get Chewie to nom on either, and ended up with stringed poos. The rest if his moults (and ALL his moults are heavy), I got him the magic fruit, and no stringed poos.

Of course, juice and dried fruit or fresh pulp are high in sugar – solution? The well scrubbed skin of a fresh pineapple or the woodier core. Less sugar, more fiber, great for teeth, fun to wrestle with, and lots of the enzymes.

[Bianca]

Ooh, I didn’t know they could have the skin or core – I have been throwing it out!

I feed it as a treat occasionally when I buy a pineapple on special. They love it, and I have heard the hairball thing so I figure that might be an added bonus, especially when I own an angora!

But I do agree that it isn’t a miracle fix, and you need to get your bun to a vet if it isn’t eating or pooping.

[Tony's Mum]

The core is a brilliant idea. Now I won’t have to share the delicious fruit with my furball!

[Bam]

I keep chunks of pineapple core in the freezer, in case need should arise!

[LBJ10]

Pineapple and papaya enzymes do have some benefit. But I agree, they don’t perform miracles. To get enough enzymes, bunny would have to eat a lot… to the point where there would be WAY too much sugar. So I wouldn’t rely on it as a remedy. But some pineapple or papaya won’t hurt. I do like the suggestion of feeding the less sugary parts. There are also supplements. I believe Oxbow discontinued theirs, but Sherwood still makes one.

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